Railway car heating



Oct. 3, 1933. w. s. HAMMOND RAILWAY CAR HEATING Filed Sept. 21, 1927 INVENTOR WILLIAM 5- HAMMOND Awm l atented Oct. 3, 1933 I 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RAILWAY CAR HEATING William S. Hammond, Albany, N. Y., assignor to Consolidated Car-Heating Company, 1110.,

Albany, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application September 21, 1927 Serial No. 221,104

8 Claims. (01. 21920) For a detailed description of the present form heat will compensate therefor, since it serves of my invention, reference may be had to the alternately therewith. It is to be understood following specification and to the 'accompanythat the heater coils and the rheostat are to be ing drawing forming a part thereof. placed within the space to be heated, i. e., they It has heretofore been proposed to utilize the are located within the car, as indicated in the 60 motor-rheostat as a car-heating agency suppledrawing, in such relative positions that the inmenting the ordinary heaters or as a substitute terior of the car will receive the benefit of the therefor. It has also been proposed, for the purheat generated by both. The arrangement is pose of reducing the load on the power house, to such that the heat of the rheostat is utilized while cut ofi the heaters during the time current is bethe heater coils are inactive. 65

ing supplied to the propelling motors. For this In the drawing, Figs. 1 and 2 are diagrampurpose the heater circuit was brought to the matic illustrations of two modifications of my motor-controller and closed thereby when the invention. controller returnsto its ofi" position but opened Referring to the drawing, A represents the mowhen the controller starts away from that positor-rheostat and A the heaters. B is a standard 7 tion. Such a suggestionhas not, to my knowlform of controller, the dotted line a indicating edge, been used practicably. Its defect lies in the the controller position when A is in the motor necessity for enlarging the heaters to compensate circuit, and b the running position when the for their reduced time of action as a result of rheostat has been cut out, and the current is which the cars that are accelerating'would have flowing through the normal motor circuit. It

their heat cutoff while those standing still would will be noted that the controller B is provided be having too much heat- That this would effect with a plurality of terminal contacts arranged areduction of the load onthe power plant has in a group. Of these the contact 1: is the terminal not been demonstrated. of the line wire t. The contacts a: and as are the In my present system I employ the regular terminals of the rheostat circuit and the contacts so heaters as heretofore employed with their cusm and m are the contacts of the motor circuit. tomary thermostatic control and leave the heater In the first position a the circuit is closed from circuitintact, but I arrange that while the motor the line wire t through contacts 15 and a: to the rheostat is in the motor circuit the power magrheostat and through the contacts at and m net of the thermostat controlling the ordinary through the motor circuit in series. With the heaters shall be disabled. 'By this means the controller member in the position b, the circuit heaters and rheostats will not both be in the is from the line wire t through contact t and m motor circuit at the same time. This means that, through the motor circuit and completely shuntduring the starting and accelerating period, which ing the rheostat circuit. C represents the power is the period when the rheostats are in circuit, magnet of a standard thermostatic controller the heaters which, if they were turned on at that for the heaters A The trolley connection or time, would otherwise add'to the heavy current source of voltage supply is indicated at T. A rethrough the rheostat and motors, are temporarily lay for short-circuiting the power-magnet C of out of action. They come in again when the the thermostat is shown at D as included in the rheostat goes out and remain in action so long circuit of rheostat A so as to be cut in and out as the motors are proceeding without the rheotherewith by the controller B. This relay 1) is stat subject to thermostatic control. This rethe characterizing feature of my invention, the duces the peak intake on" individual cars and. rest being so well known as to require no dethe load on the power plant by an amount equal tailed description. This relay controls a circuit to the heater current. At the same time the which shunts the heater and is energized whenformer heater current is reduced by an amount ever the rheostat A is in circuit and when so enequal to that consumed in the rheostat, which also ergized will close a short-circuit for power magheats the car. Otherwise the system remains as net C from the point 5 to ground at '7, the normal it is at pres and my addition requires not ing circuit being from the point 5 through said magmore than a single relay which does not involve net C to ground. When so short-circuited the any change in the controller or the heater cirmagnet opens the route from trolley T through 'cuit, or the heaters or rheostats. I prefer to heaters A to ground, but closes that route when utilize the heat of the rheostat as well as the it is energized. The thermostat energizes C when heater whereby, if the inactive periods of the the temperature falls below the prescribed lowhea'ter are of material consequence, the rheostatheat degree and de-energizes it when it exceeds the prescribed high-heat degree in a well known way. Manifestly the momentary inclusion of rheostat A in the motor circuit when the controller moves from its off towards its on position, will correspond with a momentary cuttingout of the heaters A and they will be cut in again as the further movement of the controller cuts out the rheostat from the motor circuit. Both rheostat A and heaters A are indicated as contained in a common airway leading to the car body so that they will both contribute whatever heat they may have to the car.

In Fig. 2 I have shown a modification wherein the momentary cutting out of the heater A is produced not by the physical cutting in of the rheostat A but by the amount of current which flows in the motor circuit at that time. Instead of the magnet D as the agent which short-circuits the power-magnet C of the thermostat, I employ an adjustable magnet E contained in the motorcircuit which accomplishes the same result. This magnet is permanently in the motor-circuit but only acts when the motor current exceeds the amount for which it is adjusted. By so adjusting it that it will act when the current is such as would flow when rheostat A is in the circuit it will accomplish the same result as magnet D, but its action is not restricted to the physical presence of the rheostat in the circuit nor is its adjustment limited to any specific current. Said magnet E controls a circuit which shunts the heater.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A car heating system comprising a motor circuit including rheostat coils arranged to heat the vehicle, special heating coils also arranged to heat the vehicle and arranged in a circuit which is independent of the motor circuit, a magnet controlling the special heater circuit, a thermostat controlling said magnet, a disabling circuit shunting said magnet, and a relay arranged to control said disabling circuit, and means for causing the relay to energize said disabling circuit while current is passing through the rheostat coils, said rheostat coils and said special heating coils being relatively positioned to furnish heat for the interior of the car, so that the heat of the rheostat is utilized while said special heating coils are inactive.

2. A car heating system comprising a heater, a motor rheostat, an electromagnetic controlling switch for the heater, a thermostat controlling said switch, a disabling circuit shunting said switch, and a relay in circuit simultaneously with said rheostat, said relay having means for closing said disabling circuit while current is passing through said rheostat, said heater and said rheostat being relatively positioned to furnish heat for the interior of the car, so that the heat of the rheostat will be utilized while said disabling circuit is closed.

3. A car heating system comprising a heater, a motor rheostat, a switch for said heater, a thermostat controlling said switch, a disabling circuit shunting said switch, a controller having contacts for connecting said rheostat in the motor circuit, and a relay acting to close said disabling circuit, said relay being included in the motor circuit simultaneously with said rheostat, said heater and said rheostat being relatively positioned to furnish heat for the interior of the car, so that the heat of the rheostat will be utilized while said disabling circuit'is closed.

4. A car heating system comprising a motor circuit, rheostat coils arranged to heat the vehicle, controller means for selectively including the rheostat coils in or cutting them out of the motor circuit, special heating means for the vehicle arranged in a difierent circuit, a switch included in the circuit of the special heating means and controlling the same, a disabling circuit shunting the last mentioned switch, and means controlling said disabling circuit, said controller means and the disabling-circuit-controlling means being so constructed and arranged that the disabling circuit is energized while current is passing through the rheostat coils so that the heat of said rheostat coils is utilized while the heating means is inactive.

5. A car heating system comprising a motor circuit, rheostat coils arranged to heat the vehicle, controller means for selectively including the rheostat coils in or cutting them out of the motor circuit, special heating coils for the vehicle arranged in a difierent circuit, a switch included in the circuit of said special heating coils and controlling the same, a circuit including,

means acting normally to retain said switch in closed position, a disabling circuit shunting the last mentioned switch operating circuit, and electro-magnetic means controlling said disabling circuit, said controller means and said electromagnetic means being so constructed and arranged that the disabling circuit is energized while current is passingthrough the rheostat coils, so that the heat of said rheostat coils is utilized while the heating coils are inactive.

6. In a car heating system, a line wire having a terminal contact, a normal motor circuit having terminal contacts, a rheostat circuit also having terminal contacts, all of said contacts being arranged in a group, controller means cooperating with said contacts, said controller means and the respective contacts being so constructed and arranged that while the controller means is in one position the rheostat circuit and the motor circuit are connected in series with the line wire, and while the controller is in another position the motor circuit is connected with the line wire in a manner to shunt the rheostat circuit, special heating means for the vehicle arranged in a different circuit, and means controlled by the rheostat circuit while in series with the motor circuit for breaking the circuit to the heating means, so that the heat of the rheostat coils is utilized while the heating coils are inactive, said last mentioned means being located between the rheostat circuit and the motor circuit.

'7. In a car heating system, a line wire having a terminal contact, a normal motor circuit having terminal contacts, a rheostat circuit also having terminal contacts, all of said contacts being arranged in a group, controller means cooperating with said contacts, said controller means and the respective contacts being so constructed and arranged that while the controller means is in one position the rheostat circuit and the motor circuit are connected in series with the line wire, and while the controller is in another position the motor circuit is connected with the line wire in a manner to shunt the rheostat circuit, special heating means for the vehicle arranged in a different circuit, and including a normally closed circuit maintaining switch, and means controlled by the rheostat circuit while in series with the motor circuit for moving said circuit maintaining switch to inoperative position, so that the heat of the rheostat coils is utilized while the heating coils are inactive.

8. In a car heating system, a line wire having a terminal contact, a normal motor circuit having terminal contacts, a rheostat circuit also having terminal contacts, all of said contacts being arranged in a group, controller means cooperating with saidcontacts, said controller means and the respective contacts being so constructed and arranged that while the controller means is in one position the rheostat circuit and the motor circuit are connected in series with the line wire, and while the controller is in another position the motor circuit is connected with the line wire in a manner to shunt the rheostat circuit, special heating means for the vehicle arranged in a difierent circuit, said heating circuit including a switch, a circuit for normally maintaining said switch in circuit closed position, and electromagnetic means controlled by said rheostat circuit While in series with the motor circuit, and located between said rheostat circuit and the normal motor circuit for deenergizing said maintaining circuit, so as to break the circuit to the heating means while the current is passing through the rheostat circuit, whereby the heat of the rheostat circuit is utilized while the heating means is inactive.

WILLIAM S. HAMMOND. 

